By Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist Published Jun 11, 2013 at 3:01 PM

I know they look a lot alike, but Chris Cuomo (longtime journalist formerly of ABC, and now with CNN) isn’t Andrew Cuomo (the governor of New York).

If you watch a lot of TV news, you know the difference between the two brothers.

But I do understand getting them confused, as they both come from the same powerful political family (sons of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo). It is the family-friendly banter Chris Cuomo can do that CNN is hoping will bring in a larger viewing audience. This is a different take for a news network that is used to having political talking heads like Andrew Cuomo help fill time.

Chris Cuomo will be the main anchor of "New Day," a new morning news program that starts on Monday. His co-host is Kate Bolduan … but according to speculation weeks out before the show is set to air, she could find herself losing out to Katie Couric.

OK, it’s speculation, however, there is a strong connection that could make it happen – Jeff Zucker.

Couric, who worked for years on "Today" before jumping to CBS for the nightly newscast, is now in the middle of a multiple-year contract with ABC. Her daytime talk show was produced by Jeff Zucker before he moved over to lead CNN. Word on the street is that grumblings on the set of "Katie" on ABC haven’t stopped since Zucker’s departure.

Zucker could place Couric in the morning, or in primetime in an effort to boost or even replace Piers Morgan. None of this is founded in any reliable "on-the-record" source. But, news has become the bread and butter of many networks, so all the drama in New York tends to get reported on.

It’s fun to speculate. And it is easy if you can just make stuff up.  

I don’t do that, but I’m like you, and can fall victim to reading the sensational headlines surrounding it.

Speculation aside, it will be interesting to see what tone a morning show on CNN will take. Will it be more hard-news focused like the first 30 minutes of "Good Morning America"? Or, will it be more even in tone the crew at "CBS This Morning" takes?

Will it have to balance light-hearted entertainment news, or can it ignore having to interview the castoffs of "Dancing with the Stars" like ABC does to promote its own product?

It could go with a political slant like "Fox and Friends" has, or be as liberal as we tend to see on the mainstream "Today" on NBC and MSNBC has on in the daytime and evening shows.

Depending on your likes (I tend to find fault with all of them for one reason or another), "New Day" could be worth your time.

CLEANING HOUSE: Fox isn’t just planning changes on the judges’ panel on "American Idol." Word from the former ratings leader on television is that executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has been given a pink slip.

There since the show’s beginning, Lythgoe said he is saddened by the move.

"If the executives that are now in charge of 'American Idol' believe that the ratings will improve with my departure, I have no complaints. It's been a great ride," he said in a statement.

Lythgoe is still with "So You Think You Can Dance," which will air on Fox later this year.

BRAVO: The Tony Awards, presenting the best to hit the live stage in the past year, had its largest viewing audience in years. Preliminary numbers from Nielsen have viewing estimates at 7.2 million.

The "How I Met Your Mother" actor Neil Patrick-Harris hosted the show for this fourth time, and led  the broadcast with a standing-ovation opener that featured Mike Tyson among a dance line of other notables.

You can see the opening number here:

Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist

Media is bombarding us everywhere.

Instead of sheltering his brain from the onslaught, Steve embraces the news stories, entertainment, billboards, blogs, talk shows and everything in between.

The former writer, editor and producer in TV, radio, Web and newspapers, will be talking about what media does in our community and how it shapes who we are and what we do.